At Cross Purposes
by sleepypanda
Summary: Who are the possible suspects? Naruto refuses to open his eyes to the obvious truth. Sakura refuses to admit that she is afraid. Why? Sometimes giving in is the only option... If not, “... your stubbornness can become one of your greatest enemies.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto... all I have is this silly little fic of mine... =)

**Warning**: This fic is AU...

**Foreword**: We are shaped by various events in our lives.... sometimes certain personality flaws are not noticeable but under the right circumstances they will become painfully obvious... What if things did not happen the way they did in the actual story? Would Naruto still be the same person? Let's find out...

_

* * *

  
Prologue_

_13 years ago... _

The night sky was overcast. In a small clearing, someone was hard at work. The man was hunching visibly as he shovelled the dirt. He seemed to be digging some sort of a ditch near a particularly tall tree. The crunching sound of his shovel hitting the dirt and his pants were barely audible compared to the chirping of the crickets and the croaking of the frogs. His clothes blended in with his dark surroundings. The only thing that was noticeable was his white mask, though it was hard to make out the patterns on the mask.

His shirt was soaked with his perspiration. Undeterred he continued shovelling. A rustling sound from a nearby tree caused him to flinch. He held his breath as he looked over his shoulders. He cursed. It was just an owl.

Finally, he stopped. As he removed his mask and wiped away the sweat from his brow, he concluded that the ditch he dug should be deep enough. He pocketed his mask before climbing out carefully and walking over to the bushes nearby. He stooped down and picked up the bundle lying on the ground. He returned to the ditch and threw it in. Whatever that was wrapped up in the white cloth was approximately one and a half metres in length.

"Sleep tight, little one. You should be glad that you don't need to worry about your family anymore." He murmured.

He smiled to himself as he picked up the shovel. He had to admit that the memory of his arms locking around his victim's neck from behind and slowly choking him to death had been satisfying, not to mention even thrilling. It had felt so good to be able to overpower someone and feel them struggle futilely to break free from his grasp, but he guessed that he must have gotten too carried away to be able to continue choking his already dead victim. In fact, he felt the neck break at least four times under the pressure. He chuckled. Oh well, it did not matter anyway as long as his victim was dead, dead only because he had been lucky to be able to catch him off guard.

He had been spying on his victim from among the trees. He was highly amused by the way the pink-haired kunoichi had tried to stop her teammate from leaving. They did not realise that he was there as he had masked his chakra. He was relieved that he did not have to wait long. It came to an abrupt end. The boy had knocked out his teammate and left. He had followed him from the shadows as soon as he saw him take off towards the forest.

He whistled a cheery little tune as he began filling the ditch. When he was done, he surveyed his handy work. He congratulated himself – it was another job well-done. No one would have guessed that the ground had been dug up recently.

After running through his mental checklist, he concluded that there was nothing left to do. He picked up the shovel and headed back towards the village proper. He was going home. He was going back to his family - back to his role as a model citizen, a loving husband and a doting father.

_

* * *

  
10 years ago..._

"He will be officially stripped of his Shinobi status and put under house arrest indefinitely." Tsunade paused.

"The council decided to lessen the sentence as they felt that there were some mitigating circumstances."

Loud whispers and protests can be heard from the nins gathered there. It seemed as though hardly anyone was satisfied with the verdict. That was understandable considering that they were the ones who had been closest to the Uchiha kid. After all most of them had graduated from the academy the same time as he did. The noise agitated Tonton and she began squealing. Suddenly, there was a loud slam. Someone had punched the table in front of her.

"What do you mean by mitigating circumstances?" He growled. His blues eyes burned with anger as he glared at her.

Tsunade sighed. She resisted the urge to grab Naruto by his collar and throttle some sense into him. Although she would have been enraged under the same circumstances, she knew that getting worked up would not help at all.

"Still such an immature brat," she murmured to herself.

Unfortunately, Naruto caught her murmuring. "What did you say?"

Brown eyes locked with blue. "Nothing, Gaki. But let me remind you that I'm the Hokage. If you cannot pull yourself together, I'll have to ask you leave the room. Is that clear?"

Naruto was stunned. This was the first time in his memory that Tsunade had actually threatened him like that. Though they had quarrelled occasionally, it had been nothing more than friendly banter.

The room was quiet – too quiet. Even Tonton stopped squealing. Tsunade thought that perhaps she was imagining it, but everyone seemed to have tensed up after her brief exchange with Naruto. She felt her temples throb. She had been edgy lately. This whole thing was a complete fiasco. She should have seen it coming. After all, she did manage to strike the jackpot at the pachinko parlour two weeks ago.

Still Tsunade admitted to herself that she had been taken by surprise. She was quite sure that she would have laughed if someone told her two weeks ago that Itachi Uchiha would be coming back to Konoha to turn himself in. Ironically, that was exactly what had happened. He just turned up one day, a week ago to be exact, and _voluntarily _turned himself in.

Up till now, Konoha has been abuzz. They had talked about nothing else but that incident, which seemed to get more ridiculous as time went on, thanks to the overly fertile imagination of the citizens, but no matter how skewed the theories have become, public opinion still remains divided. While most continue to believe that he is clearly up to no good, others simply shook their heads and said in hushed tones that they felt that he had completely lost it.

Tomorrow the verdict will be publicly announced and judging by the way the nins gathered here had reacted, Tsunade was quite sure that it would nothing short of adding to fuel to the fire. She suppressed a shudder. She decided that she will not think about it as there was no reason to get so worked about something that was completely out of her hands.

Turning her mind back to the matter at hand, she was not surprised to hear that her Gaki's latest attempt to locate and bring back the other Uchiha had been a complete failure. However, she did find it odd when Kabuto mentioned that even Orochimaru was looking for him after team Kakashi met him at the rendezvous. If he was with Orochimaru, she could understand why there had been no news of his whereabouts for the last two and a half years. Orochimaru never stayed at the same base for long. She frowned. She did not like it. No one can simply vanish into thin air like that. Someone had to be lying. But who?

At least the worst was over, she reminded herself. Ever since she heard that team Kakashi had returned, she had dreaded informing Gaki and the rest about it especially after hearing about the outcome of his mission. She glanced around the room before continuing.

"Even though I am the Hokage, I cannot override the council's decision. I hope none of you will be foolish enough to try."

Naruto glared at Tsunade when she stared pointedly in his direction.

"And if the council refuses to tell us what these mitigating circumstances are, there is nothing we can do about it."

Tsunade groaned internally. This had got to be one of the longest days ever. She could not wait to have some time to herself. She needed time to think, and a bottle of sake, she added as an afterthought.

"Let's get on with it," she told herself.

"That is all for now. You're dismissed." The finality in her tone told the nins gathered there that she was not going to give them a chance to protest.

Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but he stopped when he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned around. Iruka signalled to him that they should leave. He only did so half-heartedly. Tsunade knew deep down that he was probably fuming at the injustice of entire situation.

"No surprises there," she thought to herself.

As the rest were leaving, Tsunade signalled to her apprentice. "Sakura, can I have a word with you?"

The girl looked puzzled. "What can I do for you, Tsunade-shishou?"

Tsunade bit her lip. She hated to impose on the girl, but she had no choice. "Apparently Uchiha is ill. The council wants me to assign someone to care for him. They felt that it would be a pity if he were to die without leaving an heir."

Sakura clenched her fist. Her voice trembled slightly.

"Tsunade-shishou, do you think that that is the reason why - ..."

"Yes." Tsunade admitted bitterly though, deep down, she knew that no one could ever be sure.

Sakura stared at the floor. "Why me?"

"You are the only one I can trust other than Shizune and we both know that I can't give her this assignment. But-" she hesitated.

"If you refuse, I understand." She added, taking extra care to stress on the last bit.

Sakura continued staring at the floor. Tsunade decided not to pressure her. She knew that it was a tough decision to make, but she was optimistic about the outcome. When the council had specifically told her to give Sakura this assignment, she immediately suspected that something was a foot. She hoped that her apprentice would not get involved in their petty schemes.

"I'll do it." Sakura murmured.

Tsuande did a slight double-take. "Are you sure?"

Tsunade stared at her apprentice. She had been certain that Sakura would refuse.

"Do you even know the consequences of accepting this assignment?"

Sakura opened her mouth, but closed it again without saying anything. She bit her lower lip.

"I'm sure you are aware that you'll be reporting directly to the council if you accept this assignment."

Sakura gave a brief nod. Tsunade frown as a particular thought flashed crossed her mind.

"I have a feeling that I don't want to find out what your _personal _reasons are for accepting this assignment." Tsunade's eyes narrowed.

Sakura fidgeted. Tsunade swore mentally. She chided herself for overestimating her apprentice. She sincerely hoped that she could to drum some sense into the girl. The council can be rather unforgiving.

"If anything were to happen to Uchiha while he is under your care, you will be held responsible. Is that clear?"

Sakura froze. She continued staring at the floor. Tsunade paused once again to let the information sink in.

"Now let me ask you again, are you sure you want to accept this assignment?"

Tsunade held her breath.

"Yes," answered Sakura timidly.

"What! Why-," Tsunade exclaimed before she could stop herself.

Before she could finish, Sakura interrupted her. "You told me earlier that I'm the only one you can trust other than Shizune and if I refuse to accept this assignment, someone else will have to accept this burden."

Tsunade was not sure how to respond. She concluded that Sakura was right. She had no choice but to give in.

"But that does not mean I can't keep a close eye on the situation," Tsunade consoled herself.

When she looked up, she noticed that Sakura was looking at her expectantly. Tsunade's heart wrenched slightly. It was obvious by look on Sakura's face that she was worried that she had offended her.

"Very well, I'll inform the council that you have accepted the assignment. You will start tomorrow... You may go now."

"Yes, Tsunade-shishou," replied Sakura as she bowed to Tsunade.

_

* * *

  
To be continued..._

_Note: The dates in this chapter are in relation to the events that will occur in the subsequent chapters. Hope this will help minimize the confusion!_


	2. Chapter 1 Dormant Memories

**Current Chapter summary**: Nothing happens without a reason. Everyone has their own hidden fears and personal agendas ... Could Naruto have changed so much that Shikamaru doesn't recognize him anymore? What exactly is Sakura hiding from the rest? All it takes is a little push for everything to fall apart...

* * *

Chapter 1: Dormant Memories

Fingers worked nimbly to catch the loose strands of hair as she slowly twisted her hair into a neat bun. She was hardly aware of what she was doing. It came so naturally to her as she had been doing the same thing for a few months now. Her green eyes stared vacantly into the mirror in front of her. She was lost in thought.

"Sakura, how could you have stooped so low?"

She could remember every single detail of that day. It was her wedding day. It should have been the happiest day of her life but it was far from it. Although she dreaded them finding out about her husband-to-be, she was hurt when one of her close friends had outwardly objected to her marriage.

In her mind's eye, she could still picture how Naruto had grabbed her by her wrist. He had grabbed it so roughly that it bruised. He demanded to know if the rumours were true. When she told him that they were, they landed up having a shouting match outside the clan hall. Much to the chagrin of the heads of the clans, she thought wryly. Well not quite, she admitted to herself, as she was certain that they were probably delighted to have more to gossip about afterwards.

"Why should he care about whom I chose to marry? It was none of his business anyway," she huffed. "He didn't have to make me feel bad because of it."

She turned to look at the person still sleeping in bed. His back was turned towards her. She got up from she sat and walked over to her side of the bed. Sitting herself down gently, she leaned towards him as though she wanted to reach out and wake him. She paused. Instead she left the room, making sure that she closed the door as softly as possible.

She was seldom up earlier than her husband. On the rare occasion that she did wake up much earlier than he did, she treasured the time she had to herself. It was seven in the morning. She had around two hours before she started her shift at the hospital. She turned to left and stopped outside a door next to their bedroom. Carefully she opened the door and peeped inside.

There on the bed, tangled up in her blanket, was her five-year-old. She was still fast asleep and oblivious to the fact that her mother was checking on her. Sakura smiled and shook her head when she saw the pillows all over the floor. She wanted to go in and pick up the pillows, but she reminded herself that she had to get going. Her daughter will be up in half an hour.

As she went about preparing breakfast in the kitchen, she wondered what made her recall the memories of her wedding day. It was not as though she had an unhappy marriage. It may have been unexpected (at least to those close to her), but it definitely was not an unhappy marriage, she reflected.

She was certain not surprised when her husband proposed to her after two years. Well, he did not exactly propose. It was something both of them just agreed to do as they had become so accustomed to being around one another. She had found it increasingly harder to stay aloof despite her initial attempts to maintain a professional distance from him.

"It is hard not to get fond of someone when you see him every single day. Especially if he was the only one around that will talk to you most of the time," she reminded herself.

All of a sudden, she remembered what had triggered her memories of that unhappy day.

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Yesterday she was attending to a woman who had sprained her wrist. At first the woman did not recognise her, but after sometime, the woman gasped.

"I almost didn't recognise you. I thought you didn't work at the hospital anymore, Sakura."

She smiled. "Well, I might not be a shinobi anymore, but Tsunade-shishou urged me to continue working here. She felt that it would pity to let my training go to waste."

"So that's the reason why you are still working here."

Ignoring the previous comment, she continued to examine the swollen wrist. As though she was oblivious to her non-verbal hints, the woman continued prattling.

"I thought that you would have left your husband by now."

Unconsciously she tightened her grip on the wrist, causing the woman to wince. She noticed with a grim satisfaction that the woman was embarrassed. She realised what she had just blurted out.

"Well, I mean-," the woman stuttered.

"Why would you say that?" She asked coldly. "I don't remember telling anyone that I want to divorce my husband."

The woman looked surprised. "Aren't you worried about your own safety? At least you should be worried about the safety of your children."

She blushed when she felt the woman scrutinise her bulging tummy. It did not take a genius to figure out that she was pregnant.

"I know I would, especially if I married a man who had killed his family in cold blood." The woman sneered.

She did not even bother to answer. She simply got up and walked towards the door.

"Hey, where do you think you are going?" The woman shouted.

Without a second thought, she flung the door open and yelled, "Aiko, can you come over?"

One of the young nurses at the nurses' station rushed over. "What can I do for you Sakura senpai?"

"Sorry to trouble you, but I am not feeling that well," she said as she turned her head slightly to glare at the woman still sitting in the room. "Can you please take over for me?"

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Ever since she married her husband, she knew that people have been gossiping about her behind her back. Yet there was always a first time for everything. She could feel her blood boil again. Till then no one dared to say such a thing to her face. She thought that she would be used to it by now but she had to admit that it still hurts when someone had the cheek to criticize her husband in front of her. She sighed.

She did not have any illusions about her marriage at all. She accepted the fact that she will be treated like an outcast. After all, not many people had been able to forgive her for marrying the supposedly psychotic older brother of her ex teammate.

It had been tolerable at first, but things changed after Megumi was born. She became so depressed that she locked herself up in the nursery for hours. She could not stop crying. She realized that her daughter will never be able to live a normal life. The other people in the village will probably ostracize her the way she had been ostracized.

At least things had improved slightly since then. She could still remember how relieved she felt when they were informed that they will no longer be kept under constant surveillance. At least, her daughter will not grow up feeling like a prisoner in her own home. With the anbu no longer physically present, she had hoped that they will be able to live a normal family life. Yet she was realistic. She knew that their life will never be that normal. Though she had not seen the anbu around, there were moments when she would look over her shoulder hoping to catch a glimpse of the people who were spying on her.

She felt the baby give her a gentle kick.

"Good morning, little one," she said as her right hand rubbed her swollen belly.

"You are up early today. Thanks for being with mummy. Mummy is feeling a little under the weather today."

"Mummy shouldn't be going to work if she isn't feeling that well," said a voice coming from her left.

With a start, she let go of the empty plate she had been holding in her left hand. She tried to catch it but she was not fast enough. She expected to hear it shatter in the sink a few seconds later. It did not. Looking to her left, she noticed that at least he managed to catch it in time.

"Itachi, please don't do that again," she said weakly.

"You can't blame me. You were distracted. Again."

Sakura felt her cheeks grow warm. She had been brooding a lot lately. Even Ino was concerned. She tried to reassure them over and over again that it was probably pre-natal depression. They would usually stop questioning her after that but somehow she had a sneaking feeling that neither of them believed her.

Noticing her flushed cheeks, he placed a hand on her forehead. "At least you are not feverish."

"I'm ok. I can take care of myself, you know," she retorted with mock indignation.

He did not reply immediately. Sakura tried to reassure herself that he looked relieved but as usual she could not pick up any nuance of expression from his impassive face.

"Anyway, good morning love," he said noncommittally.

With that, he bent over and kissed her. They were too engrossed to notice the crow in the tree near the window. It leapt from its perch and flew off towards the village square. Its caws were drowned by the early morning hustle and bustle.

* * *

  
Kiba stood at the mouth of one of the many side roads that criss-crossed throughout the village. He was leaning against the drying wall. His hands were tucked in his pockets. He tried to look detach but the way he kept reaching up to smooth his messy brown hair gave him away. Once again, he glanced nervously down the road as though he expected to see someone.

"What's taking them so long?" He asked irritably.

A large white dog beside him rolled his eyes as he stifled a yawn. Kiba gave Akamaru a dirty look but Akamaru just went back to sleep, not caring that the road was still damp.

"Keep your comments to yourself, ok? Humans have different mating rituals. I can't rush things, you know," Kiba growled.

He could not understand why they have not passed by. He was sure that this was the fastest route to the training ground. His heart sank. It had been ten minutes since they left the academy. He hoped fervently that they had not gone by another route.

He was about to leave when he noticed Akamaru's ears perk up. He felt his heart leap as he saw the group walking towards him in the distance. It did not take him long to spot the pretty chunin sensei shepherding the rowdy bunch. He grinned.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, he returned to original position. He was disappointed that the chunin was too preoccupied trying to stop the children from jumping into the puddles to notice that he was there. He let the group pass by before following them, leaving Akamaru to trail along behind.

A few girls began to giggle when they saw him overtake them but he held a finger to his lips and gave them a roguish wink. Immediately, they stifled their giggles. They were, of course, familiar with this routine by now. Kiba pretended that he did not notice the way the girls kept glancing at him and whispering to each other. He continued to pick up his pace until he was finally in step with the only adult in the group.

"Morning, Hinata!"

"Good morning, K-Kiba,"she replied, catching herself in time before she started stammering. "What are you doing here? You know that I end at three today."

Kiba gave a sheepish grin as he ruffled the hair at the back of his head.

"Well, I er- noticed you leaving the academy with this noisy bunch. I thought you might need another chaperon, you know... since the other teachers are busy helping with the repairs around the village."

One of the boys detached himself from the group. He turned around, crossed his arms and glared at Kiba.

"Hinata sensei doesn't need another chaperon as long as she has me. Don't you have other things to do?"

Hinata blushed. Kiba was irritated. He never liked children at all. They were annoying little snots that he could live without. It was little wonder that he kept putting off the idea of finally settling down despite his mother's constant nagging, which, he might add, has become increasingly frequent lately especially after she realized that most of his peers were already married.

"Hiroki, please keep up with the rest of your classmates. Don't worry about Kiba, ok?" Hinata sighed.

Looking at his disappointed face, she added quickly. "Hiroki, can you do me a favour?"

Hiroki's face brightened up. "Anything you want, Hinata sensei."

"Great! Can you lead the way to the training ground? I know that you know the way very well." She said with a smile.

"Okay!" Hiroki replied running towards the front of the group.

"It's hard to believe that he was so shy that he wouldn't even speak up in class at the beginning of the school year," Hinata commented. "But, he is right. Shouldn't you be somewhere else?"

"I'm sure the guys will cover for me," Kiba replied furtively.

"Oh Kiba..."

Hinata simply shook her head and turned to follow her class. Kiba tagged along meekly. They continued walking in companionable silence. It will be another moment that they would treasure. They knew that in the not too distant future, their parents will probably arrange for them to marry someone else as they have not shown any interest in anyone their parents consider suitable. Still the occasional evening walks and early dinners were fun. The tricky part was keeping their relationship a secret from their parents. Luckily, their friends had been more than willing to help out.

While watching Hinata instructing her students on how to throw a shuriken properly, Kiba wondered why he had fallen for her. She was not as pretty as some of the other girls he had met. However he can still remember when he had fallen for her. He smiled to himself. It was definitely after she had grown a backbone. Enough of a backbone to put her foot down and tell her father that she was determined to sign up for the teaching post at the academy whether he approved of her decision or not.

When she was done, she walked over and stood by his side as she watched her students practice. Pretending to yawn, Kiba innocently stretched his arm slowly and reached over to rest it around Hinata's shoulders.

"Oh come on, that has got to be the oldest trick in the book! I always see my brother do that when he is around his girlfriend."

Kiba quickly unwound his arm. Hinata turned beet-red this time. Both of them of looked up and saw Hiroki standing in front of them.

"Keep your dirty hands off Hinata sensei. She's mine," Hiroki yelled, giving Kiba a hard kick in the shin.

"Why you little..." Kiba cursed before letting off a whole string of profanities that attracted the attention of the rest of the class as he limped towards Hiroki.

"Kiba! He is just a kid," Hinata exclaimed in a horrified tone.

While the whole group was distracted by Hiroki's antics, Akamaru's nose began to twitch. The scent was vaguely familiar. It was coming from somewhere further down. He leapt to his feet and bounded off towards the source. Kiba heard a rustle. He looked up in time to see a white tail disappearing behind the bushes.

"Oi, Akamaru! Come back here," he yelled as he dashed off after his dog.

Kiba was panting by the time he found Akamaru. He noticed that he was digging near one of the trees that have fallen down during the recent typhoon.

"What are you looking for, boy? Don't tell me you've found another bone."

Suddenly Akamaru stopped digging. He sat down and looked at Kiba. Kiba stiffened. He knew that stance very well after all that was what both of them had been trained to do. Steeling himself, he walked over to inspect the body.

"Shit," he murmured.

"Stay here Akamaru! I have to report this straight away."

He dashed back to the clearing and rushed over to Hinata. Ignoring Hiroki's wary look, he bend over and whispered something into her ear. Hinata's eyes widened as she covered her mouth in shock.

"Are you sure?" She whispered back.

Kiba nodded slightly. Hinata noticed the children staring at them.

"Why don't we take a short break? We'll start again in fifteen minutes." Hinata willed herself to smile and sound cheerful.

After the children left, Hinata whispered, "Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on things here."

She suppressed a shudder as she looked at the happy faces of her young charges. Kiba just told her that he had found a skeleton buried not too far from here. It was wrapped up in a thinning, yellow shroud. By the looks of it, the body was probably that of a child.

_

* * *

  
To be continued..._


	3. Chapter 2 Inept

Chapter 2: Inept

Yoshiko Saito was exhilarated. She did not expect to find a positive match so soon. The body had been buried for nearly thirteen years. Who would have thought that the body actually belonged to a genin from this village? It made her job so much easier.

She scoffed. Hopefully people will start to calm down. A lot of parents began to panic after they heard that a body of a child had been found buried somewhere within the village. The effects were almost immediate. That same afternoon, the streets around the neighbourhood were unusually quiet. Hardly anyone seemed to want to let their children wander off on their own.

"You know you caused quite a stir within Konoha. Well, I have a report to finish, so I'll be seeing you then."

As she stood at the door, Saito took one last look at the body she had just finished examining. She wondered what she should do next. Of course! She was surprised she did not think of it earlier. She ought to let his relatives know about it. It is rare to find relatives still living in the same village especially if a child disappeared so suddenly like that. It would save Lady Tsunade the trouble of informing them afterwards. She smiled. She was certain Lady Tsunade would be pleased indeed.

Tsunade beamed. "Congratulations, Gaki. I'm so proud of you."

Naruto looked embarrassed. "It's all thanks to you, Baa-chan. I sure I wouldn't have been promoted if it wasn't for you."

There was a soft knock.

"Come in."

Tsunade was puzzled. She wondered who that could be at this time in the afternoon. She had checked her schedule twice before asking Naruto to come over so that she could tell him the good news.

Sakura peeked in. "Good afternoon, Tsunade-shishou. Are you free at the moment? Can my husband and I come in?"

Tsunade stopped herself from cursing. This has got to be her lucky day. Why must they come right now? She was not sure whether it was a good sign that Naruto seemed to be keeping his emotions in check. At least that was what she hoped he was doing. His face was expressionless.

"Sakura? S-sure. It would be rude to make you wait outside in the hallway. What are you doing here?"

"Tsunade-shishou, didn't you ask us to come down at two thirty this afternoon?"

Sakura looked puzzled. When she spotted Naruto, her mouth opened, forming a silent "oh".

"I did?"

"Sorry Tsunade-shishou, I didn't know that you were already seeing someone."

"No, it's ok. I must have gotten mixed up."

Tsunade started rifling through the messy pile on her table. She tried desperately to find her organizer. She was certain that she did not ask Sakura to come in at two thirty. There was another knock on the door.

"Come in."

"Good afternoon, Lady Tsunade. I have the report right here."

"Oh, ok. Thank you, Saito?" Tsunade's frown deepened.

"Good afternoon, glad you can make it Uchiha san," Yoshiko greeted Sakura, completely ignoring Itachi.

"Uzumaki san? Sorry I didn't see you earlier."

"Saito, did I ask Sakura to come down today?"

"No, I did. I wanted to tell you earlier this morning, but you were so busy. Oh, here's your organizer, you left it in the hallway." Saito said sheepishly as she passed Tsunade her organizer.

Her grin faltered slightly when she caught a glimpse of Tsunade's face. Tsunade snatched the organizer from her and began checking the book for missing pages.

"Thankfully, everything is in order. Saito, why did you ask Sakura and Uchiha down?"

"I th-thought that it would be easier for you, after all they are the next-of-kin..." Her voice trailed off.

"Next-of-kin?" Sakura repeated warily.

Her eyes darted from Naruto to Itachi before she turned her attention back to Tsunade. She hated men and stupid their male ego at times. She wished she knew what they were thinking. Saito's hints were rather obvious but she was determined to stop the situation from escalating. She wished she had left when she had the chance to do so earlier.

"You find out soon enough," Saito replied sagely as she handed Tsunade the report.

Tsunade's frown deepened as she leafed through the entire report. She could not believe what she had just read. She turned back to the first page and read it again.

"You have got to be kidding, _right_?" She asked softly. She hoped Saito got her hint.

"No, there's no mistake. The dental records tally with the impression I took, Lady Tsunade. That kid was none other than Sasuke Uchiha."

Tsunade winced. She did not dare to look up. She hoped she could have delayed it. It might have been easier if Gaki was not around when they discussed Saito's report. Well, it would definitely have been a lot more pleasant if she did not have to discuss it in front of both parties at the same time.

"So making his life miserable wasn't enough for you, was it? You...!"

Tsunade cursed Saito mentally for the third time that day. It would not do for her to reproach her subordinate in front of them. No point crying over spilled milk she reminded herself. Damage had been done. She had a bad feeling about this. She hoped she could seperate the two of them before things got worse. She threw down the file and looked up only to see Naruto glaring at Uchiha. His fists were clenched.

"Don't put your job on the line," she prayed silently.

"You've only just made it this far. You still have a long way to go. Don't blow it. The council is still looking for an excuse to demote you. Attacking a civilian could spell the end of your career for good."

She did not have time to open her mouth before he grabbed a kunai from his pouch and lunged at Itachi. All she could do was watch in horror. She almost pitied Sakura. She immediately turned to her former disciple who was standing next to her husband. Her jaw dropped. Sakura stepped in front of Itachi as soon as she saw Naruto heading towards him. Her face was turned to the side. Her eyes were shut tightly as though she was bracing herself.

Helplessly, she tried to make eye contact with Itachi only to see him trying to push Sakura aside. She would not budge. Naruto barely managed to stop in time. The momentum caused his knees to buckle so much so that he was almost face to face with Sakura. She turned to look him straight in the eye. Before either man could do anything, there was a loud slap.

The sound brought everyone to their senses. Tsunade could still feel her heart racing. She clutched her bosom as she tried to slow down her breathing. That was a close shave. It looks like she will have to have a good talk with Gaki after this. How could he be so reckless? To think that she had just praised him for his sound judgement and maturity which he had acquired over the years. Those were the two main traits that won him the favour of the majority of the council members.

"Ga-...," She was cut short.

"Na-Naruto, how could you?" Sakura's soft voice seemed magnified in the silent room.

"There was so much that I used to admire in you. Now look at you!"

"Sakura, don't get involved. Please move aside." Naruto begged.

"No!" Sakura yelled.

The door slammed open. A few of the anbu guards rushed in.

"Lady Tsunade, we heard the commotion from outside, is everything..." One of them asked.

He stopped in mid-sentence. It was obvious what had caused commotion. Everyone focused on the two of them. It was hard to believe that they used to be the best of friends judging by the way they were yelling at each other.

They ignored their spectators. Both of them were flushed with anger. Both wanted the other to give in. Neither of them wanted to give in.

"Sakura, can't you see..."

"No, Naruto. All I can see is that you have become what you have feared the most. You are so prejudiced. You can't even see beyond your own selfish point of view."

Saito made a motion as though she was about to clear her throat. Tsunade grabbed her arm and held it down. She shook her head. She knew that once both of them started, nothing could stop them. It was better to let them finish arguing. Even though she dreaded the outcome, she always hoped that one day both of them would patch up. She realized now that it had only been wishful thinking.

Naruto looked hurt but he refused to answer. He stared blankly ahead. That certainly took everyone by surprised. Tsunade guessed that all the emotion Sakura bottled up over the years was surfacing with vengeance. She slapped her forehead. She felt as though she was surrounded by idiots at times.

"I will let you off this time, Naruto, because you used to be one of my dearest friends. But...," her voice cracked slightly.

Sakura was crying now. Naruto tried to reach out to comfort her but she brushed his hand aside. She turned her face away. After she wiped away her tears furiously, Sakura looked Naruto in the eye once again.

"Uzumaki, let me warn you... if I ever find out that you have wrongfully accused my husband, you can be assured that I will not let the matter rest. While the law tends to favour the shinobi most of the time, it also protects the rights of the civilians. Don't you ever forget that!"

With that, she left the room and slammed the door behind her. The guards barely had time to jump out of her way. There was an awkward silence. Both Naruto and Itachi deliberately avoided eye contact. Tsunade cleared her throat. Before she can open her mouth to rebuke both of them for disturbing the peace, she was cut short once again.

"I beg your pardon, Lady Tsunade, but I think that it is best if I go after Sakura. She is probably too agitated to act rationally at the moment."

"Alright," she sighed. "You may leave."

She gave the guards a small nod. They left quietly after Itachi. She noticed Naruto looking at her. His face was once again as impassive as Uchiha's. She knew a lost cause when she saw one. Perhaps she will wait until Gaki was in a better mood. Talking to him now would be like ramming your head against a brick wall. It was something which she did want to do at the moment.

"You too, Naruto. I have something to attend to."

"Boy, that was unexpected," Yoshiko exclaimed as the door closed once again.

"No, Saito. It wasn't. That was just bad planning on your part."

"What do you mean by that Lady Tsunade? I thought arranging for them to come this afternoon would have saved you the bother. You wouldn't have to waste your time trying to contact them after I passed you the report."

"Saito, the trouble is that you did not bother to inform me about this earlier on."

"But you said..."

"No buts... Since you clearly didn't know the history between the three of them, I will overlook it this time. Please don't ever do anything like this again without informing me. Got it? I hate it when people stick their noses in where they don't belong."

Saito hugged the folder so tightly to her chest that it began to fold. She was staring at the floor. Her shoulders shook. Tsunade chose to ignore it and motioned for Saito to leave. She missed Shizune. She really wished that she would recover quickly and come back to work. It was unfortunate that Shizune got injured while working undercover.

She wondered if she could stop herself from bitching about Saito then. She hoped so. She could not blame Shizune at all. How was she to know that her cousin was so incompetent? Shizune had sincerely thought that her cousin would be the best candidate, after all Saito was the top student in her class.

Well least said, soonest forgotten. All she could do now was keep her fingers crossed and hope that she will be rid of Saito soon. She smiled to herself as she began rummaging for her bottle of sakae. The only good thing about having that girl around was that she could drink as much as she wants. She was smart but not smart enough to figure out where she hid her stash.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	4. Chapter 3 A Word of Advice

_Notes: Corrected a few errors found in chapters 1 to 3..._

**Current Summary**:

Who are the possible suspects? Naruto refuses to open his eyes to the obvious truth. Sakura refuses to admit that she is afraid. Why? Sometimes the only way to give in... If not, "... your stubbornness can become one of your greatest enemies."

* * *

Chapter 4: A Word of Advice

"There she is."

"I don't know how she can still walk around holding her head up like that."

"Well, what can you say? Some people are like that. They don't have the decency to stay away even when they know they are not wanted."

"That is so true. At least, I can safely say that nothing surprises me now ever since she married that wretched man."

Naruto did not notice the two women gossiping in the corner. He did not see them pointing at someone coming in the opposite direction. He simply walked past them. He was on his way to the Yamanaka florist. His hands were tucked in his pockets. His back was hunched visibly. He was deep in thought. He gasped.

"I'm sorry I didn't notice... S-sakura? What are you doing here?"

"Good morning Uzumaki san. It's quite alright, the flowers are still intact," Sakura replied as she continued inspecting her bouquet of white lilies.

"Look Sa-Uchi... no I mean Sakura," Naruto rubbed his temples. "What I meant to say was I am sorry about what happened the other day. I guess I didn't sto-..."

Sakura held up a hand. "It's ok. Just drop it, ok? I don't mean to be rude or anything, but I have to go. Have a nice day Uzumaki san."

She stepped around him and continued on her way. She did not even look back when he called after her. With a shrug, Naruto walked up towards a glass door and entered. He had half an hour to go.

"Welcome to Yamanaka's... Oh, it's you Naruto. Did you see Sakura on the way out? She is getting really big. I wonder when the baby is due."

"Hi Ino, yeah... I did."

"Why do you sound so glum?" Ino asked as she looked at Naruto's crestfallen face.

"Well... we kinda..."

"I think I get the picture. Mind coming over here for a second? I have to finish this flower arrangement."

Ino grabbed Naruto by his wrist and dragged him over to the counter where she had left a bunch of yellow chrysanthemums. Naruto watched as Ino continued working on the flower arrangement.

Her blonde hair was styled in the chic bob. It was the same bob she had had since the day her twins were born. Till today, people still liked asking her every now and then if she regretted cutting her hair. She would always reply with dismissive wave that she was now too busy taking care of her boys to have time to fuss over her hair. She might continue ranting about them after that but everyone knows that she simply adores them no matter how much she complains about all of them.

"It's almost done!" Ino exclaimed.

She looked up and turned towards Naruto "... I really don't know what to say to the two of you anymore. Naruto, you should know by now that Sakura is very stubborn. She won't change her mind willingly after she decides to do something... And I hope that three little brats know that it's rude to listen in when adults are talking!" Ino yelled without even turning to look behind.

Naruto lifted an eyebrow. "Three?"

"Oh, Megumi is here. Sakura brought her over just now." Ino whispered back.

No one replied. Minutes later, muffled laughter was followed by the sound of scurrying feet. There were three pairs to be exact. Their owners were rushing up the stairs. A door slammed shut before opening again.

"Sorry mum," a voice called back guiltily before the door slammed.

Ino smiled at Naruto. "Sorry about that. You never know what those rascals will be up to next."

Naruto crossed his arms. "Listen, Ino, if you asked me over to talk about Sakura then..."

Ino looked offended. "No, actually, I wanted to congratulate you. I just heard the good news."

Naruto was taken aback. "Erm thanks Ino."

"Speaking of Sakura... Naruto, you can be pretty stubborn too." Ino commented.

Naruto frowned. Ino ignored him and went back to work on her flower arrangement.

"You won't change your mind that easily once you've decided you like someone. You would go to great lengths for that person. That is why you are such a good friend. But your stubbornness can become one of your greatest enemies."

"What do you mean?"

"I think you know exactly what I mean," Ino insisted.

Naruto slapped his forehead. "Ino, I don't have time for this. I am going to be late for my meeting with the Hokage."

"There, I'm done!" Ino exclaimed as she shoved the vase of the chrysanthemums into Naruto's arms.

He stumbled. He barely had time to grab hold of the vase. She would be mad if it shattered. Even though, technically, it would have been her fault.

"Erm hope you don't mind helping me deliver this to the receptionist on your way up," Ino laughed guiltily.

Naruto sighed. "Sometimes I wonder if you only ask me down so that you can use me as a delivery boy."

"I will be an idiot not to make full use of any opportunity that knocks on my door, right? Now off with you, I have got a business to run but please do stop by again soon," Ino gushed as she pushed Naruto out of the door.

She smiled and waved before she went back into the shop. Naruto knew that it would be pointless to go in again and pass the flowers back to her. Glancing at the clock inside, he spun around and dashed off towards the Hokage Tower. He was already fifteen minutes late.

* * *

Sakura's soft footsteps crunched on the young grass as she walked up and down the neat rows. She was vexed. She could not find the particular grave she was looking for. She felt the hairs at the back of her neck stand up. Someone was definitely following her.

"Good morning Kakashi sensei. Long time no see... Why are you following me?"

He smiled. "Morning Sakura, I was starting to wonder when you'll notice me. You see, I was on my way to visit a little dolphin of mine when I happened to see you walking around town. I thought it would be nice to say hello."

Sakura stood up when she was down inspecting the grave in front of her.

"What can I say, Kakashi sensei, things are different once you settled down and start a family. I hope you would excuse me, but, as you can see, I am rather busy at the moment."

His face became serious. "Looking for something? I doubt if you would find his grave around here. I believe it is somewhere over the other side near that old tree."

Sakura's hands tightened around the bouquet. "Why isn't it here?"

"None of us could get in touch with either of you. It seems that without your husband's permission we could not bury Sasuke with the rest of his clan. It would be rude to do so since this plot _technically_ belongs to him now."

With a huff, Sakura stalked off in the direction Kakashi had indicated to her earlier. She pretended that she did not notice him following her at a leisurely pace. It did not take her long to find the grave. She tried to compose herself as she kneeled down to place the bouquet at the foot of the grave. She was annoyed that her old sensei would not leave her alone.

"If you still cared so much about him, why didn't you come for the funeral?"

"I am sure you know why," Sakura answered with a hollow laugh.

Kakashi let out a sigh. "I wish you wouldn't keep pushing the rest of us away, Sakura. Even though we don't approve of your husband, that doesn't mean that we will keep you at a distance. I think you will need our support in the near future."

Tears began to wet the grave in front of her. "But Naruto-..."

"Erm, I am sure he will come round eventually... He seems to have some difficulty seeing the difference between the two." Kakashi replied awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head with his right hand.

Once a long time ago, he might have reached out to comfort the young woman in front of him but it would be considered rude to do so now. All he could do was to offer her his handkerchief.

"Thank you, Kakashi sensei," Sakura sobbed as she took the handkerchief he offered her.

She dried her eyes once again. "Kakashi sensei... do you believe he is guilty?"

No one answered. She looked behind her. He wasn't there anymore. She turned back to stare at the grave in front of her. Her thoughts were in a completely disarray but the question continued to echo in the back of her mind.

* * *

_To be continued..._


End file.
